Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    How an Uncontested Mosque Became the 'Ground Zero Mosque'

    Seven out of every 10 Americans now oppose the mosque to be located inside an Islamic center two blocks from the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. A few months ago, nobody cared. But what's come to be called "the Mosque at Ground Zero" is this month's angriest political issue.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Seven out of every 10 Americans now oppose the mosque to be located inside an Islamic center two blocks from the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. A few months ago, nobody cared. But what's come to be called "the Mosque at Ground Zero" is this month's angriest political issue. Last Friday, President Obama said Muslims have a right to include a mosque in their new community center. On Saturday, he said he did not mean to comment on the "wisdom" of the project, which many interpreted as a retreat from his first remarks. How did that happen? Was it a creation of right-wing Islamophobes? Are politicians now exploiting fears of a highly diverse religion? Have the mainstream media played a paradoxical role by downplaying Islamic extremism?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Mosque, the Media and the November Elections
    1. 0:00Jobless Claims Cast Doubt on Economic Recovery
    2. 7:43How an Uncontested Mosque Became the 'Ground Zero Mosque'You’re reading this
    3. 44:34Iraq in the Rear-view Mirror
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Karen Radziner

      Managing Producer, To the Point & Which Way LA?

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Justin Elliott

      ProPublica

    • KCRW placeholder

      Clifford D. May

      Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

    • KCRW placeholder

      Brian Levin

      founding director, Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, California State University, San Bernardino

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Mosque, the Media and the November Elections
    1. 0:00Jobless Claims Cast Doubt on Economic Recovery
    2. 7:43How an Uncontested Mosque Became the 'Ground Zero Mosque'You’re reading this
    3. 44:34Iraq in the Rear-view Mirror
    Back to To the Point